TRAVEL POLICY Overview

1
TRAVEL POLICYOverview

• Presentation to the Subcabinet
• Jon M. Holladay
• Deputy Chief Financial Officer
• May 19, 2008

2
OVERVIEW

• The Agriculture Travel Regulation (ATR), issued
• May 1, 2008, supplements the Federal Travel
  Regulation (FTR) issued by the General Services
  Administration (GSA).
• The ATR applies to travel of Departmental
  employees, and to travel of individuals either
  employed intermittently by the Department or not
  employed but carrying out official activities of
  the Department. This includes consultants or
  experts paid on a daily when-actually-employed
  basis and does not apply to employees on loan or
  detail to another department or agency
  contractors or Departmental Foreign Service
  employees.

3
MAJOR CHANGES TO ATR

• Incorporates the new policy on authorization of
  premium class travel.
• Eliminates sections that are already located in
  the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR).
• Eliminates sections that have been addressed in
  Departmental Regulation (DR) 2300-004, USDA
  Evacuation Policies and Procedures and DR
  2300-002, USDA Relocation Allowance Regulation.

4
DELEGATIONS OF AUTHORITY

• General Officers may authorize, within the
  requirements of the ATR and FTR, all types of
  travel, including premium class travel for their
  employees, and other individuals traveling for
  their office on Departmental business.
• Agency Heads may authorize, within the
  requirements of the ATR and FTR, all types of
  travel for their employees and other individuals
  traveling for their agencies, except premium
  class travel travel to resort areas and
  conference and training events where the majority
  of USDA employee attendees are from one commuting
  area.
• Delegations below Agency Heads must be 1) at a
  sufficiently high level to ensure proper review
  and control of travel and 2) must be in writing
  and contained in agency internal regulations.

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AUTHORIZATION AND APPROVAL

• GENERAL
• Each agency is expected to determine the method
  of travel most advantageous to the Government.
  Special consideration should be given to minimize
  travel time and cost to the Government.
• A travel authorization is the official approval
  to perform temporary duty travel. The travel
  authorization must specifically itemize, in
  detail, the travel to be performed and the
  expenses to be incurred. All authorizations
  must have a written or electronic signature by an
  authorized official.
• Travel vouchers submitted in connection with
  authorized travel must be approved for payment by
  the traveler's designated approving official.
  Travelers must submit a travel voucher to their
  designated approving official within five working
  days after completion of the trip or period of
  travel. Travelers in a continuous travel status
  must submit a travel voucher, at a minimum, every
  two weeks.
• ACTUAL SUBSISTENCE
• Agency Heads are authorized to approve
  reimbursement of actual subsistence expenses in
  lieu of per diem up to 150 percent of the
  established rate. This authority may not be
  re-delegated.
• The Chief Financial Officer (USDA) must approve
  actual subsistence between 150 percent and 300
  percent of the established rate.

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BLANKET TRAVEL AUTHORIZATIONS

• Agencies are to submit any plans to issue open or
  blanket travel authorizations to employees,
  other than General Officers and the Director,
  Homeland Security Office, for the upcoming fiscal
  year by June 30th each year to OCFO. Plans
  should include a justification for using open or
  blanket travel authorizations instead of the
  preferred trip by trip travel authorizations
  strategies that will be used to prevent
  unauthorized travel expenses and wasteful travel
  practices and the methodology to track and
  control annual travel costs.
• No premium class travel may be authorized on a
  blanket travel authorization.

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PREMIUM CLASS TRAVELAUTHORIZATIONS

• Coach class travel is the USDA preference.
  Authorization can be requested for the use of
  premium class (i.e., first class and business
  class) travel. Premium class travel is not an
  entitlement. It should only be approved if it is
  in the Governments best interest.
• General Officers may authorize premium class
  travel for their employees. The Chief Financial
  Officer will authorize premium class travel for
  General Officers.
• Agencies are required to report, on a quarterly
  basis, all instances of approved use of premium
  class travel to the OCFO.

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PREMIUM CLASS TRAVEL JUSTIFICATIONS

• Flight only has premium class travel (Business
  class only)
• No space available in coach (First or business
  class)
• Medical Accommodation (First or business class)
• Security (First or business class)
• Cost Savings (Business class only)
• 14 hour rule (Business class only)
• Exceptional Circumstances (First or business
  class)

9
TRAVEL TO RESORT AREAS

• Use of resort areas is discouraged and requires a
  detailed analysis for consideration. For official
  travel purposes, the term resort area includes
  named resorts, spas gambling centers, and other
  recreational establishments ski resorts beach
  areas and locations known for their emphasis on
  tourist type activities.
• An employee may attend events that are not under
  the Departments administrative control and
  attendance is considered necessary for official
  business,
• Travel to a named resort or other recreational
  establishments must have General Officer approval
  unless it meets the criteria above.
  Documentation for the approval of this type of
  travel must be attached to the travel
  authorization. Authorization for travel to these
  areas must be on a case-by-case basis.

10
CONFERENCE AND TRAINING EVENTS

• All conference and training events shall be held
  at the most cost-effective location (considering
  such factors as per diem, transportation, and
  rental of conference rooms), unless programmatic
  considerations dictate otherwise. Conference and
  training events where a majority of the USDA
  attendees are in the same commuting area must be
  held at a location within the local commuting
  area, unless it is more cost effective at another
  location. Only General Officers may authorize an
  exception to this rule. FTR Part 301-74,
  Conference Planning and FTR Appendix E to Chapter
  301, Suggested Guidance for Conference Planning,
  must be followed when planning a conference.
• Events costing more than 40k require OCFO
  approval.
• Events between 20k-40k require General Officer
  approval.
• Annual conference and training plan must be
  submitted to the OCFO by November 15th.
• Agencies are required to report, on a quarterly
  basis, conference data to the OCFO.

11
Mixed Official and Personal (Leisure) Travel

• Travelers may not use the electronic booking
  engine or Travel Management Center (TMC) to book
  personal (leisure) travel. Personal (leisure)
  travel must be booked outside the travel system.
• Mixing business and personal travel requires
  written approval.
• Traveler pays all extra costs, government gets
  any savings.

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MISCELLANEOUS

• RECORDS RETENTION
• Delegated officials will be required to maintain
• necessary records to respond to any internal
• audits or external inquiries from the Congress,
• the Office of Inspector General, or the
  Government
• Accountability Office. Records should be
  maintained for
• a period of 6 years and 3 months from the date
  the final
• claim is paid.

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NON-REFUNDABLE FARES

• Government Contract Fares are the USDA preference
  as they protect the Government and/or traveler
  from penalties associated with changes in travel.
  
• Travelers may not purchase non-refundable tickets
  unless their agency has received an annual waiver
  from the OCFO to purchase non-refundable fares.
• Agency annual waiver request must include a
  determination that its mission requires the use
  of non-Government contract fares, including
  non-refundable fares. By requesting a waiver, the
  agency is accepting responsibility for using
  non-refundable fares.
• Agencies must establish internal controls to
  prevent abuse and waste.

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PREMIUM CLASS TRAVEL AUDIT

• Total Samples 301
• Coach or Cancelled Travel 52
• Instances of Premium Class Travel 249
• Passing Samples 29
• Failing Samples 220
• Passing Samples included appropriate
  authorization, justification and
• supporting documentation.
• Failing Samples lacked appropriate authorization,
  justification, supporting document or a
  combination of all three.